Reporter 22/11/00: Report of the General Board on the establishment of a Centre for Research in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences: Notice

Report of the General Board on the establishment of a Centre for Research in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences: Notice

20 November 2000

The Council have referred the remarks made at the Discussion of this Report on 7 November 2000 (p. 192) to the General Board who have commented as follows:

The Board welcome the very warm support expressed by all speakers in the Discussion for the establishment of the proposed Centre for Research in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. They are especially impressed by the comments of Professor Morrill concerning how the Centre should benefit the University in gaining a larger share of AHRB funding for research in the areas it is concerned with. They also endorse his view that the Centre should be an international institution, and never meant to imply otherwise. On the contrary, one of the ways in which the Report proposes that the Centre should provide a national facility is by bringing to the UK 'leading workers from … around the world'.

In reply to Dr Evans's remarks, the Board make the following observations. It will be for the Centre's Policy Committee to determine the precise mixture of the many kinds of activities listed in paragraph 6 of the Report; but in paragraph 3, the Report explicitly envisages supporting research by individuals as well as groups. The Board also attach great importance to the Report's stated intention that the Centre should not replace but should supplement and strengthen existing research in the University, and hence that it should support worthwhile research that cannot be done as effectively (or at all) in existing institutions.

In reply to Dr Evans's comments about consultation, the Board note that, as Dr Poole stated in the Discussion, this Report is fully supported by the Councils of the Schools of Arts and Humanities and of the Humanities and Social Sciences, both of whom had discussed and approved its proposals before they were presented to the Board. The constitutions of the Centre's Management and Policy Committees are specifically designed to ensure both a proper subject balance, through members appointed on the recommendation of the Councils of the Schools, and the widest range of representation, including a high involvement of external members. The Board reaffirm their decision to appoint Professor Donaldson as the first Director of the Centre if it is established, for the reasons given in the Report. However, as indicated in paragraph 10, they expect to make future appointments in accordance with their normal policy, that is, in open competition after advertisement.

The Council have agreed to submit a Grace for the approval of the Report's recommendations (Grace 10, p. 231).

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